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Golfers have an undeniable passion for whisky. The 2024 major tournaments may be behind us, but there’s still plenty of action on the fairways this month. The Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Virginia hosts the Solheim Cup, September 12–15th, the PGA tour heads to the Silverado Resort, in Napa, CA for the Procore Championship, also September 12–15th, while the venue for the President’s Cup, September 24–29th, is the Royal Montreal Golf Club in Montreal, Quebec. Whether you’re an armchair fan, still perfecting your swing, or a pro at the top of your game, scotch whisky’s connection with golf seems to be nearly everywhere. In that spirit, here are some ratings and tasting notes for five whiskies from this year’s golf season.
95 Black Bull 30 year old Sir Nick Faldo Edition, 50%, $350
Black Bull blended scotch teamed up with golf legend Sir Nick Faldo for a series of limited-edition releases ranging from 18 to 55 years old. The components in this blend were matured in sherry casks for a minimum of 30 years.
Rich fruitcake, black cherry, dried flowers, chocolate-covered Turkish delight bars, walnut oil, and seasoned oak make for an enticing nose. The mouthfeel is thick and rich with heather honey, toffee, dried fruit, peppercorns, baked apple, fruitcake, nutmeg, hazelnut praline, black cherry, and milk chocolate, delivering the same intensity of dried fruit, chocolate, and spice into the satisfyingly, long finish. A highly recommended blend aged to perfection.
93 Loch Lomond The Open 24 year old Manzanilla Sherry Wood, 47.1%, $300
Loch Lomond Distillery partnered with Scottish golf legend Colin Montgomerie to release two limited-edition single malt scotches to mark The 152nd Open at Royal Troon this year. Distilled in 2000, this was finished for 6 months in manzanilla sherry casks. 4,500 bottles
The aromas are complex and multilayered with strawberries and cream, a twist of citrus peel, fine spices, and soft, sooty smoke. It’s incredibly fruity and juicy on the palate, with red berries, cherry, apple pie, cinnamon, and caraway, showing toffee, marzipan, and salted caramel as it gets creamier. Subtle smoke joins almond paste and cinnamon on the finish.
92 Black Bull 18 year old A Tale of Two Legends, 50%, $120
The age of this blended scotch has a special meaning for Sir Nick Faldo as he scored 18 consecutive pars at the 1987 British Open at Muirfield to take his first major title.
The nose is creamy and inviting with plum mousse, meringue, vanilla sugar, dried apple, and fine spices. This will please dessert lovers and fans of American oak, as the lush mouthfeel serves up flavors of cinnamon swirl, caramel, creamy vanilla, banana-topped banoffee pie, dried apple, and some intriguing clove and herbal notes. A fine blend indeed, it stays creamy into the finish with drying oak, vanilla, and toffee.
92 Dewar’s 19 year old The Champion’s Edition, 43%, $80
Aged for 19 years as a nod to the 19th hole. Dewar’s master blender Stephanie Macleod double aged this year’s Champion’s Edition blended scotch in first-fill rye casks for the 124th U.S. Open at the Pinehurst Country Club, which was won by Bryson DeChambeau in incredible style.
Honey, green rye, toasted rye, rye crackers, and subtle pepper on the nose. Flavors of caramel, poached pear, rich vanilla, wood spice, cinnamon, and heather honey, round out with golden sultana and dried stone fruits with rye spice, vanilla, and a hint of cocoa to finish.
91 Loch Lomond The Open Special Edition, 46%, $45
Michael Henry, Loch Lomond Group’s master blender, finished this non-age statement single malt scotch in French oak chardonnay casks after an initial maturation in American oak barrels. Xander Shauffele’s 6 under par final round of 65 won him the claret jug and his second major title of the year.
The nose has green apple, crème pâtissière, bananas Foster, heather honey, apple tarte tatin, and gentle oak spices. Caramelized apple on the palate, deep honey, playful lime zest and lemon peel, then vanilla, fresh apple, pear, and light oak, with a finish of baked fruits and caramelized sugars.
